Art and architecture of the synagogue in late antique Palestine in the shadow of the church - Milson, David (Brill, 2007)
Includes bibliographical references (pages 273-297) and index
List of Figures; List of Maps; Acknowledgement; Abbreviations of Often-Used Sources; Introduction; Chapter One Evolution and ancient synagogues; 1.1. Re-assessing past scholarship; 1.2. 'Normative Judaism' and the forbidden image; 1.3. Synagogue scholarship in the early nineteenth century; 1.4. Beginnings of the evolutionary theory of synagogue plans; 1.5. Galilean regionalism; 1.6. Recent publications; Chapter Two Excavated synagogues dating to the Byzantine period; Introduction: Evidence for identification and dating of ancient synagogues
This study examines the material evidence for synagogues and churches in the Holy Land from the age of Constantine in the fourth century CE to the Arab conquest of the eastern provinces in the seventh century CE. Whereas scholars once viewed the growth of the Byzantine empire as time of persecution, a re-evaluation of the archaeological evidence indicates that Jews prospered along with their Christian neighbours. What influence did Christian art and architecture have on ancient synagogues? In the sixth century, one-third of all known synagogues in Palestine bear features similar to early Byzan